Obstacle detection sensor using synchronous detection

ABSTRACT

An object detection system employs a photo-emitter and photo-detector for synchronously detecting and processing an optical signal reflected from an object in a pinch zone of a window or door opening. A photo-emitter light signal is modulated by a modulation signal having an active phase and an inactive phase. The optical detector provides an optical detector signal that is a function of the intensity of the received light. The detected light signal is synchronously detected using a switching amplifier that multiplies the reflected modulated light signal by a first gain during the active phase and by a second gain during the inactive phase. The duration of the active and inactive phases and the first and second gains are selected such that the system gain will average to zero for ambient light when integrated over a predetermined measurement period. The synchronously detected signal is subtracted from a predetermined offset voltage, and this difference is then integrated over the measurement period. The output of the integrator is then compared to a predetermined threshold value.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

N/A

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

N/A

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing anindication of the presence of an object within a pinch zone located inthe path of an automated closure device such as a powered window,powered sunroof, powered door or hatch using an optical sensor, and moreparticularly to the use of an optical sensor that incorporates asynchronous detection amplifier to selectively amplify the desired lightsignal in the presence of ambient light and electronic noise.

Closures for apertures such as vehicle windows, sunroofs and slidingdoors are now commonly motor driven. As a convenience to an operator orpassenger of a vehicle, power windows are frequently provided withcontrol features for the automatic closing and opening of an aperturefollowing a simple, short command from the operator or passenger.Alternatively, automatic closing and opening of an aperture may be inresponse to an input from a separate device, such as a rain ortemperature sensor. For instance, a driver's side window may becommanded to rise from any lowered position to a completely closedposition simply by momentarily elevating a portion of a window controlswitch, then releasing the switch. This is sometimes referred to as an“express close” feature. This feature is also commonly provided inconjunction with vehicle sunroofs. Auto manufacturers may also providethese features in conjunction with power doors, hatches or the like.Such automated aperture closing features may also be utilized in variousother home or industrial settings.

In addition to providing added convenience, however, such featuresintroduce a previously un-encountered safety hazard. Body parts orinanimate objects may be present within an opening when a command isgiven to automatically close the window or door. For example, anautomatic window closing feature may be activated due to rain impingingon an interconnected rain sensor while a pet in the vehicle has its headoutside the window. A further example includes a child who has placedits head through a window or sunroof that is activated to close by thedriver, another passenger or accidentally by the child.

In order to avoid potentially tragic accidents or property damageinvolving intervening objects entrapped by power windows or sunroofs,systems have been developed which detect the circumstance in which awindow has been commanded to express close but closure has not occurredwithin a given period of time. As an example, a system may monitor thetime it takes for a window to reach a closed state. If a temporalthreshold is exceeded, the window is automatically lowered. Anothersystem monitors the electrical current drain attributed to the motordriving the window. If it exceeds a predetermined threshold at aninappropriate time during the closing operation, the window is againlowered.

The problem with such safety systems is that an intervening object mustfirst be entrapped and subject to the closing force of the window orother closure device for a discrete period of time before the safetymechanism lowers the window or reverses the sunroof or other closuredevice. Personal injury or damage to property may still occur in suchsystems. In addition, if a mechanical failure in the window drivingsystem occurs or if a fuse is blown, the person or object may remainentrapped.

Non-contacting object detection systems are known which detect thepresence of an intervening object within an open area. Such systemsinclude, for example, security systems and garage door safetyinterlocks, to detect interruption of a light beam across an opening.Other systems are used with automotive apertures having motorizedclosure members such as windows, sunroofs, and sliding doors, to detectan intervening object proximate or extending through the respectiveaperture. Undesired operation of an aperture closure member is thereforeprevented when an intervening object such as a finger or arm is extendedthrough the opening during closure; the closure member is not requiredto come into contact with the intervening object for the object to bedetected.

Such object detection systems typically measure the magnitude of areflected signal to determine the presence or non-presence of anintervening object. A photo-emitter emits a light beam which an opticalsystem directs across the opening that is being monitored. Anuninterrupted opening may result in the reflection of at least a someportion of the emitted beam from the opposing side of the aperture. Aphoto-receiver disposed in an appropriate location receives thereflected light beam and generates an output signal indicative of theintensity of the reflected beam. Reflection from the opposing sideordinarily results in a reflected signal of a well-defined intensitybeing returned to the receiver. Alternatively the emitted beam may bedirected so that it may graze or not strike an opposing member in whichcase little or no light energy may be returned in the absence of anobject in the opening. An intervening object located in the path of thelight beam changes the intensity of the reflected light beam, acondition reflected in the detector output signal. The detector outputsignal with an object in the opening being monitored will thus differfrom the detector output signal in the absence of an object. Dependingupon the reflectivity of the intervening object and the reflectancecharacteristics of the aperture environment, the detector output signalwill be greater or less than the nominal output signal from thedetector.

These optical systems, however, are vulnerable to interference byambient light such as sunlight as well as fluorescent and incandescentoverhead illumination. Prior art solutions have included the use ofsynchronous detectors and “judgment circuits” consisting of a number oflogic circuits coupled together. These judgment circuits however, arestill susceptible to interfering sunlight. In addition, these judgmentcircuits typically include several steps each of which contains severaldigital logic circuits. The large number of parts associated with thejudgment circuits can increase both the power that is consumed anddissipated as heat, and also can increase the cost associated with theobject detection circuitry.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an apparatus and method fordetecting the presence of an object by measuring a change in a lightsignal that is received in the presence of ambient light, and which canbe calibrated or initialized in such a way so as to cancel the portionof the signal that is not associated with an obstacle. Preferably, suchan apparatus provides enhanced accuracy by reducing the effect of theinterfering ambient light while using fewer parts and consuming lesspower than then prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and apparatus are disclosed for sensing an object by an opticalsensor that utilizes synchronous detection and an integrator forseparating a desired optical signal from ambient light and electronicnoise as well as a means for canceling modulated energy from features ofthe environment not associated with an object in the opening.

In one embodiment, the system includes a modulator driving aphoto-emitter and a switched amplifier with first and second modulationsignals respectively. A photodetector receives a portion of lightreflected from the pinch zone and/or an object therein and provides anoptical detector signal to the switched amplifier.

The switched amplifier has a first input coupled to the optical detectorsignal and a second input connected to a reference voltage. Thisamplifier alternately switches between two phases thus providing a firstgain corresponding to the active state of the photo-emitter and a secondgain of opposite polarity corresponding to the inactive state of thephoto-emitter. The switched amplifier provides an output signal thatincludes a first voltage that results from the difference between theamplified optical detector signal at the first input and the referencesignal at the second input multiplied by the first gain during theactive phase followed by second voltage that results from the differencebetween detector output signal and the reference signal multiplied bysaid second gain during the inactive phase. The first and second gainsand the duration of the active and inactive phases of the measurementperiod are selected in such a way that the gain of said switchedamplifier has an average value of zero when no optical signal is presentwhen averaged over a predetermined measurement period which will includeat least one pair of active and inactive phases and may include manysuch pairs.

The obstacle detection system further includes a means to electronicallyintegrate the difference between output of the switched amplifier and anadjustable reference voltage for a predetermined measurement time. Theintegrator is configured and arranged to integrate the output signal ofthe switched amplifier over at least one active phase and inactivephase, and to provide an integrator output signal. A detector receivesthe integrator output signal and is configured and arranged to provideindicia of the presence or absence of an object within said pinch zone.In a preferred embodiment the reference voltage input to the integratoris selected so that the output voltage changes significantly only whenan object is present in the monitored opening. A detector elementmonitors the integrator output signal and is configured and arranged toprovide indicia of the presence or absence of an object within saidpinch zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The invention will be more fully understood with reference to thefollowing detailed description in conjunction with the drawings ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the optical sensing system as employed inthe presently disclosed invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the photo-detector and input amplifierof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the switched amplifier of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the subtraction module and integratorof FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is block diagram of the modulator and photoemitterdriver/amplifier of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the driver/amplifier circuit 508 ofFIG. 5 along with a typical temperature compensation circuit 510;

FIG. 7 is a timing diagram of a modulation signal provided to theswitched amplifier and photo-emitter of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a timing diagram of a modulation signal provided to theswitched amplifier and photo-emitter of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of an object within apinch zone of an automated closure device such as a power sunroof, powerwindow, or a powered door or hatch is disclosed. The definition of thepinch zone varies depending upon the nature of the automated closuredevice. For example, if the automated closure device comprises apower-assisted, sliding closure member such as a power sunroof, a powerwindow, or a power door, the pinch zone is defined by a leading edge ofa closure member and a portion of the aperture defining a terminalportion of the aperture opening with the closure member leading edge. Ifthe closure device comprises a powered, hinged door or hatch or apowered revolving door, the pinch zone is generally a plane defined byan edge of the aperture approached by the leading edge of the door orhatch and a line adjacent the aperture edge in the path of travel of theleading edge of the door or hatch.

In each of the embodiments described herein, a measurement period is apredetermined period of time containing at least one active phase and atleast one inactive phase. As used herein, an active phase is a period oftime in which a photo-emitter provides illumination. Similarly, as usedherein, an inactive phase is a period of time in which a photo-emitterdoes not provide illumination.

The obstacle detection system includes an optical sensor that receives amodulated light signal provided by a photo-emitter temporally controlledby modulation signal. The photo-emitter provides illumination of thewindow or other opening during the two or more active and inactivephases of a measurement period. An intervening object within the pinchzone reflects a portion of the illumination provided by thephoto-emitter and provides a reflected light signal. In addition,depending on the direction and the shape of the emitted light beam, theopposing side of the opening may, or may not, also reflect light back tothe photo detector. One or more photo-detectors receive the reflectedlight signal and provide a detector output signal indicative of one ormore characteristics of the received reflected light signal. Thedetector output signal may be an analog signal such as a voltage or anelectrical current, or a digital output signal. The obstacle detectionsystem processes the detector output signal to provide an indication ofthe presence or absence of an intervening object within the pinch zone.

The detector output signal is first pre-amplified then synchronouslydetected by a switching amplifier. The resulting signal is averaged byintegrating over a predetermined measurement period prior to comparisonto a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined threshold value isdetermined to represent the effect of an object in the opening. As usedherein, synchronous detection utilizes a switching amplifier havingfirst and second inputs. Each input is switched between first and secondgains in a manner that is synchronous to the active phase(s) andinactive phase(s) of a measurement period. The switching amplifierswitches the detector output signal from the first gain to the secondgain synchronously with the illumination provided by the modulated lightsource.

The first and second gains, the duration of the active and inactivephases, and the number of active and inactive phases within ameasurement period are selected to reduce the level of backgroundinterference from ambient light sources. The above values are selectedsuch that, in the absence of a modulated light signal, the average orintegrated value of the switching amplifier output will not change fromits initial value over a measurement period. Thus, any signals that arenot synchronous with the modulated light signal, i.e., signals that arepresent during both the active and inactive phases of a measurementperiod, will be averaged or integrated to zero over the measurementperiod. Averaging or integrating the switched amplifier output willremove the non-synchronous background signals from further processing sothat they will not interfere with the detection of obstacles within thepinch zone. The output from the switching amplifier is integrated over ameasurement period that may include one or more active and inactivephases. By allowing the measurement period to include multiple phases,spurious signals that are coincidentally correlated with the modulatedlight signal over only one or two activation periods can be removed andthe number of false alarms reduced. The averaged or integrated value iscompared to a predetermined threshold value to determine the presence orabsence of an obstacle within the pinch zone, and an appropriateindication can be generated.

Referring to FIG. 1, a modulator 110, or alternatively amicro-controller 122 which may have an internal timing system, providesa modulation signal 109 to the photoemitter driver 111. Thephoto-emitter driver 111 provides the power to the photo-emitter 102that provides the modulated light signal 103. The photo-emitter 102 maybe configured and arranged with an optical system to provide variouspatterns of illumination. For example, the various patterns ofillumination may be in the form of a plane of light, a multifaceted fanof light having a plurality of fingers, or a narrow beam of light. Anobject 101 reflects at least a portion of the incident light 103 andsome portion of the reflected light signal 105 impinges upon aphoto-detector 104. The photo-detector 104 generates a detector outputsignal 107 that is indicative of at least one characteristic of thereflected light signal 105. The photo-detector 104 provides the detectoroutput signal 107 to the input of preamplifier 106. The preamplifier 106amplifies the detector output signal 107 and provides the amplifieddetector output signal to the switched amplifier 108.

The switched amplifier 108 is coupled to a modulation signal 123. Themodulation signal 123 controls the switched amplifier 108 such that theswitched amplifier 108 switches the preamplified detector output signaland a reference voltage signal 125 between first and second gains. Theswitched amplifier 108 provides an output that is the difference betweenthe two inputs multiplied by the corresponding gain. As will beexplained below, in some embodiments the duration of the inactive phaseof modulation signal 123 is slightly longer in duration than thecorresponding active phase of the modulation signal 109 provided to thephoto-emitter driver 111. This longer duration prevents small phaseshifts that might occur in the photo-signal in the preamplifier 106 fromshifting in time into the inactive phase of the amplifier and causingself-interference. A non-zero reference voltage signal may be used toestablish a “no-signal” voltage level when a single rail voltage supplyis used in the illustrated embodiment. As will be explained below, thepreamplified detector output signal is multiplied by the first gainduring the active phase of the measurement period, and by the secondgain during the inactive phase of the measurement period. The switchingamplifier 108 driven by the modulation signal 123 performs synchronousdetection of the preamplified detector output signal.

An adjustable predetermined offset voltage 112 can be arithmeticallycombined with the synchronously detected signal to reduce the differencebetween the output of the switched amplifier and the reference voltage113 to provide a substantially zero average value when no obstacle iswithin the pinch zone. Therefore, even though some reflected light maybe returned from the opposing members of the monitored opening, littleor no signal will be present. As will be explained below, the adjustableoffset voltage 112 may be determined during a calibration orinitialization process prior to use or it may be determined on aperiodic or as-needed basis.

An integrator 114 receives the difference between the synchronouslydetected signal and the adjustable offset voltage 112. The integrator114 integrates this difference signal over a measurement period andprovides an integrated signal to the detector 116. A measurement periodis initiated by resetting the integrator to a known value.

The output of the integrator is monitored by detector 116 that comparesthe integrated signal during a measurement period to a predeterminedthreshold and generates indicia of the absence or presence of an objectwithin the pinch zone. In another embodiment, an object is detected ifthe detector measures the time required for the output of the integratorstage to change by a predetermined amount and the measured time is lessthan a predetermined value. In another embodiment a microcontroller 122may monitor either the voltage or the time as discussed above. In yetanother embodiment the detector 116 may be configured to generate thereset pulse independent of microcontroller intervention. In thisembodiment, the frequency at which reset pulses are generated can beused as indicia of an obstacle in the opening.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a modulator 110 and a photo-emitterdriver 111 that are suitable for use with the obstacle detection system100. Modulator 110 includes an oscillator 502 that is operative toprovide a train of suitable pulses at a predetermined frequency and apredetermined duty cycle to a frequency divider 504. In the illustratedembodiment, the frequency divider 504 is a D flip-flop configured as afrequency divider. The D flip-flop provides an output of square wavepulses at a frequency that is one-half the predetermined frequency ofthe oscillator and sets the duty cycle at substantially 50%. This signalis used to modulate the switching amplifier. By making the duty cyclesubstantially 50%, the active phases and the inactive phases of theswitching amplifier will have the same duration. Consequently, thecondition of zero average gain of the switching amplifier will beachieved when the amplifier gain during the active phase is equal inmagnitude but opposite in sign to the amplifier gain during the inactivephases of the modulation. If some errors associated with signal phaseshifts can be tolerated, the signal 123 can also be used to modulate thelight source directly. Otherwise, as illustrated, the 50% duty cyclesquare wave modulation can be used to trigger a pulse of shorterduration than the active phase of the signal used to modulate theswitching amplifier. As mentioned above the use of this secondary pulsegenerator permits the active phase of the light output to be constrainedentirely to the active phase of the switching amplifier in the presenceof amplifier induced phase shifts and prevents self-interference.

In other embodiments the amplifier can be periodic but have a duty cycleother than 50% as shown in FIG. 7. The requirement for zero average gainover one pair of cycles in this case is satisfied when the product ofthe amplifier gain during active phase times the duration 708 of theactive phase is equal in magnitude but opposite in sign to the productof the gain of the inactive phase times its duration 710. As is the casefor a 50% duty cycle modulation, the duration 706 of the active phase ofthe photo-emitter can be set to be shorter than the corresponding phase708 of the switching amplifier to avoid errors due to phase shifts. Theswitching amplifier 108 receives this output 123 of square waves 702from the frequency divider 504. The switching amplifier 108 uses thissquare wave pulse train 702 for switching the switched amplifier inputsbetween the first and second gains. In addition, a monostablemultivibrator 506 receives the square wave pulse train 702. In theillustrated embodiment, the monostable 506 triggers on a positive goingtransition of each pulse. The monostable 506 produces a pulse having awidth that is slightly less in duration than the positive pulses 708provided by the frequency divider 504 to the switched amplifier 108.FIG. 7 illustrates this where the pulse train 702 is provided to theswitched amplifier 108 and the monostable 506. It can be seen that theoutput 109 of the monostable 506, the pulse train 704, has a shorterduration 706 when compared to the duration 708 of the pulse train 702.This difference in the duration of the activation phases ensures thatthe illumination time of the photo-emitter 102 is smaller than theactive phase of the switched amplifier. This prevents any “spill over”into the inactive phase of the measurement period by the active phase.In a preferred embodiment, the oscillator 502 can be a 555 timerconfigured for astable operation. The monostable can be a 555 timerconfigured for monostable operation, and in one embodiment a 556 dualtimer can be used for both the astable portion and the monostableportion of the circuit.

In some cases, more complex modulation waveforms may be useful. Forexample, in applications where security is required it will be usefulthat the modulation scheme cannot be defeated by a simple externaldevice. In this case, a microcontroller 122 may be used to generate morecomplex modulation waveforms having different characteristics in termsof the duty cycle and the periodicity and symmetry of the waveforms. Forexample, the microcontroller 122 may be programmed to provide an aperiodic or pseudo random pulse train in which the duty cycle is muchless or much more than 50%. In these cases, there may be more than onepair of active and inactive phases in each measurement period. As longas the condition for zero average switching amplifier gain over themeasurement period is achieved, the detection scheme will provide thedesired selectivity.

In this embodiment, a microcontroller may be employed to select thephase duration(s) from a predetermined table of pseudo-random valuesthat have been calculated so that the total duration of the inactive andactive phases is the same when summed over the measurement period.Alternatively, RDAC's could be used as R312 and R308 and programmed bythe microcontroller to balance the signal on a phase by phase basis.

In some applications it may be desirable to employ a light emitter suchas a flash lamp and certain types of LED's and laser devices for whichthe active phase is characterized as events of very short duration. Inthese instances the duty cycle associated with the active phase mayapproach 0%. When this condition applies, a very simple implementationof the switched amplifier becomes possible. Instead of switching betweenpositive and non-positive gains during the respective phases, theamplifier need only switch between zero gain during the inactive phaseand a non-zero gain when the light sources is active. In other words theswitching amplifier is simply an amplifier that is turned on when thelight is on and off when the light is off. The average gain will now beapproximately zero over the measurement period. Waveforms 802 and 804show modulation signal 123 and 109 respectively, wherein waveform 804includes the shorter duration activation phase pulses 806. Asillustrated this waveform has a duty cycle that is much less than 50%and in which there may be more than one active phase and inactive phaseper measurement period 808.

The monostable 506 provides the shorter duration activation phase pulsesto the photo-emitter amplifier/driver 508, which in turn drives thephoto-emitter 102 into illumination. The photo-emitter 102 may be one,two, or more photo-emitters and the configuration of the photo-emittersis such that the pinch zone is fully illuminated. In a preferredembodiment, the photo-emitters are light emitting diodes (LED's) thatoperate in the infrared region of the optical spectrum.

In the illustrated embodiment, the amplifier driver includes an optionaltemperature compensation module 510. As is known, a change in theambient temperature changes the intensity of the illumination of an LED.To avoid a false alarm or a missed intervening object due tofluctuations in the intensity of the illumination caused by temperature,a stable constant level of illumination is desirable. If there is asignificant amount of background energy the temperature induced changein the illumination signal can be confused with that arising from anobstacle. In one embodiment, a temperature compensation module 510 canmaintain a constant drive level to the LED's in response to signals 512from a temperature sensor (not shown).

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a temperature compensating circuit510 and LED driving/amplifying circuit 508 suitable for use with theobstacle detection system 100. The LED driver/amplifier circuit 508comprises a pair of inverters, 610 and 612 coupled to the modulator 110in order to convert the active output to a signal that is suitable forswitching the base of the drive transistor 618. The voltage dividingcircuit of resistors 614 and 616 sets a nominal bias voltage at the baseof transistor 618. In a preferred embodiment, the transistor 618 is aDarlington transistor having a current gain of at least 300. The emittervoltage of the Darlington transistor 618 will be two diode drops,approximately 1.3 volts, below the bias voltage present at the base oftransistor 618. This emitter voltage is applied to resistor 634, anddetermines the collector current flowing through both the transistor 618and the three LED's 626, 628, and 630. The collector current in turndetermines the intensity of the illumination of the LED's. The resistors620, 622, and 624 act as transient snubbing elements which eliminatehigh frequency radiation by providing a current path when the LED's areturned off abruptly. These resistors are typically of high resistanceand do not conduct a substantial portion of the LED ON current.

A temperature sensor (not shown) provides a temperature signal to thenon-inverting amplifier comprised of op-amp 604 and resistors 606 and608. The output of the non-inverting amplifier is provided to the baseof transistor 618 via resistor 635. This output causes the DC biasvoltage at the base of transistor 618 to change with temperature, andtherefore adjusts the emitter voltage and collector current throughresistor 634 as discussed above. In this manner, the intensity of theillumination of the LED's may be maintained at a constant value across apredetermined temperature range.

However, as known to one skilled in the art, various other means may beused to drive the LED's and provide for temperature compensationthereof.

The photo-emitter 102 is selectively positioned such that asubstantially planar light beam emitted from photo-emitter and theassociated optical system 102 traverses at least a portion of the pinchzone and impinges upon the vehicle interior, potentially including theassociate trim elements that surround opening (not shown).

In the event an object is present in the field of the emitted lightbeam, the amplitude of the signal reflected off the object (not shown)is likely to vary based upon the size, orientation, and reflectivity ofthe object. The obstacle detection system detects variations in theoutput signal from the photo-detector 104 and compares the output to aknown threshold value to determine the absence or presence of an objectwithin the pinch zone. The obstacle detection system provides a signalindicative of the presence or absence of an object within the pinchzone.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a suitable photo-detector 104 andinput amplifier stage 106. Photo-detector 104 may be a photo-diode 201produces a photo-current that is a function of the intensity of theincident light. A suitable photodiode will typically be a PIN photodiodethat has a sufficiently fast response time to allow satisfactoryoperation at the desired modulation frequency. In addition, the PINphotodiode may be operated in a reverse bias mode as shown in FIG. 2 inorder to increase the width of the depletion region, thus providing agreater bandwidth of operation. In the illustrated embodiment, aphotodiode was chosen that is operable in the infrared wavelengths andhas visible light blocking filters for wavelengths associated withsunlight.

Op-amp 202 and resistor 204 form a current-to-voltage converter 228which converts the photo-current produced by photo-diode 201 into avoltage. In a preferred embodiment, resistor 204 is 10k resistor. Op-amp202 preferably has an input bias current that is substantially less thanthe signal current received from photo-diode 201, and in addition,should have slew rate of at least 3-4 volts/microsec in order to operateat modulation frequencies above 10 KHz. In the illustrated embodiment,the op-amp 202 is a single supply op-amp, and therefore a non-zerovoltage, reference rail must be set about which the signal will swing.This reference rail is set by the combination of op-amp 206, resistors208 and 210, and Vcc, the supply voltage 203. The voltage division ofthe supply voltage 203 will set the reference rail by the pair ofresistors 208 and 210. In a preferred embodiment, resistors 208 and 210are of equal value and the reference rail 226 is therefore set at Vcc/2volts. Op-amp 206 is configured as a unity gain amplifier and provides alow impedance, reference rail 226 to AC amplifier 230 and other parts ofthe system as will be discussed below.

The output signal from op-amp 202 is AC coupled, via capacitor 229, tothe AC amplifier 230 to block low frequency and DC signals arising fromambient illumination, particularly sunlight. Capacitor 299 and resistor222 form a single-pole high pass filter with cutoff frequency of a fewhundred Hertz. The next stage in this embodiment is an AC amplifier thatis comprised of: op-amp 212; resistors 214, and 218; and capacitors 216and 220. AC amplifier 230 provides an amplified signal on line 224. Thepreferred type of op-amps 202, 206, and 212 for single supply operationare rail-to-rail input and output Op-amps, having a low offset voltageand low noise. Because a single rail voltage supply is used, the commonmode input range of the op-amps should include both ground and Vcc. In apreferred embodiment, resistor 214 is 100 k, capacitor 216 is 3 pf,resistor 218 is 5.1 k, capacitor 220 is 0.01 uf, and capacitor 229 is0.22 uf. Op-amp 212 is a MAX4126, op-amp 206 is a TLC082, and op-amp 202is a TLC082. All values are examples of a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a switched amplifier 108 incombination with the modulator 110 output signal 123 that providessynchronous detection of the pre-amplified detector output signal thatis suitable for use with the obstacle detection system disclosed herein.Switching amplifier 108 employs a double-pole, double-throw switch pair302 that simultaneously switches both input lines 224 and 236 between anormally open (NO) position and a normally closed (NC) position inresponse to the modulation input 123. The input line 224, which isconnected to the preamplified detector output signal, and input line236, which is connected to the reference voltage, are switched betweenthe op-amp 310 input terminals 305 and 307 of difference amplifier 316.The switch 302 provides the preamplified detector output signal on inputline 224 to the negative input 305 during the active phase of themodulation signal 123 and to the positive input 307 during the inactivephase of the modulation signal 123. Similarly, the reference signalvoltage will be provided to the positive input 307 during the activephase of the modulation signal, and to the negative input 305 during theinactive phase of the modulation signal 123.

Op-amp 310, and resistors 304, 306, 308, and 312 comprise a conventionaldifferential amplifier. Resistors 308 and 312 may have the same value asdo resistors 304 and 306. When the switched amplifier is in the activephase, the output of the difference amplifier 316 is given by

 V _(o) =V(reference)+G[V(signal)−V(reference)]

where the gain, G=R308/R304. When the switched amplifier is in theinactive phase, the inputs to the differential amplifier are reversed sothat the output voltage will have the same magnitude but oppositepolarity and is given by

V _(o) =V(reference)−G[V(signal)−V(reference)].

The output voltage over at least one measurement period will thenaverage to V(reference) when duration of the active phase of theswitched amplifier equals the duration of the inactive phase.

In the illustrated embodiment, resistors 308 and 312 are 100 k andresistors 304 and 306 are 10 k. Thus, the difference amplifier in theillustrated embodiment provides a nominal output of 10(V₊−V⁻), where V₊is the voltage on the positive input 307, and V⁻ is the voltage on thenegative input 305.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the difference module 118 and theintegrator 114 that are suitable to use with the obstacle detectionsystem. In the illustrative embodiment, difference module 118 andintegrator 114 are combined into a circuit 120 comprising op-amp 406,capacitor 402, resistor 404, and offset voltage source 126. Thus, thesignal present on the output line 408 will result from the integrationof the current that flows through resistor 404 as a result of thedifference between the voltage of the input signal on line 314 and theadjustable offset voltage 416 which is applied to the non-invertingterminal of op amp 406.

Circuit 112 in FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of an adjustable voltagesource which provides the adjustable offset voltage 416 for theintegrator. In this embodiment a resistive digital to analog converter(RDAC) 414 such as an AD8400 is used. This device is the equivalent to adigital controlled potentiometer with 256 possible resistance settings.It is configured as a voltage divider in conjunction with resistors 413and 415. By using an RDAC as opposed to conventional digital to analogconverter (DAC) it is possible to confine the total voltage adjustmentto a narrow range on either side of the system reference voltage. In theillustrated embodiment, for example, resistors 413 and 415 have the samevalue and the values of 413, 414, and 415 are selected to provide anincrement of 200 microvolts for each of the 256 steps. In otherembodiments, circuit function 112 may be implemented with the use a DAC,a manually set potentiometer or any combination of an RDAC, DAC andmanual potentiometer.

The single-pole-single-throw switch illustrated in FIG. 4 serves thefunction of discharging the integration capacitor 402 of circuit 120.This may be a normally open or normally closed switch such as theMAX4502 and MAX4501, respectively. Both devices are responsive tooperation by the control system such as the microcontroller 122. Ameasurement cycle commences with the switch set to the closed positionfor a sufficient time to discharge capacitor 402. The discharge time isa small multiple of the time constant associated with capacitor 402 andresistor 406. Resistor 416 is represents the combination of theintrinsic resistance of the switch and any resistors which may be addedto prevent the current discharge of capacitor 402 from exceeding thespecified limits associated with the switch 410. In the illustratedembodiment, the reset event 412 requires switch 410 to be closed for aminimum of one millisecond.

In some embodiments, particularly those in which cost is a primaryfactor and high performance is not required, switch 410 may be replacedby a resistor. The value of the resistor substitute is selected such theresulting time constant represented by the product of the selectedresistor value times the value of capacitor 402 is commensurate with themeasurement time.

In the absence of a signal on line 314 caused by the presence of anobject in the opening, it is desirable to have the integrated output of120 remain at a constant value so any change in the state of theintegrator output can be used to indicate that there is an obstacle inthe opening. The presence of an adjustable reference voltage for theelectronic integration 120 of the signal 314 makes it possible toinitialize the sensor so as to cancel any modulated signals that arereturned to the sensor from opposing members of the window or dooropening or fixed features in the vicinity that do not result from anobstacle. Initialization can take place at any moment when it is knownthat there no obstacle in the opening. A typical instance for this tooccur is at the time of assembly of the integrated system comprised ofsensor and the associated door or window. There may be other times,however, at which initialization can take place over the lifetime of thesystem and will depend on the nature of the application. The process ofinitialization takes place with the sensor operating in the normal modeby adjusting the reference voltage from 112 while simultaneouslymonitoring the output of the integrator 408. In the absence of an objectin the opening the offset voltage is adjusted to a value for which theintegrator output 408 remains constant over the measurement period. Thusany object which appears in the opening which causes a change in thereflected signal from the initialized value will provide indicia of itspresence.

The sensitivity of the detection scheme described above will increasewith the duration of the measurement time. However, the application alsorequires that the measurement process occur with sufficient rapiditythat movement of the window can be arrested quickly without striking orentrapping any object between measurement cycles. In the illustratedembodiment the maximum measurement time required to detect the smallestobstacle of interest was set to 100 ms. It should be recognized thatlarger obstacles will the provide an indication in less time.

Initialization as described above takes place with the photo-emitterswitching between the active and inactive states thus providingmodulated illumination into the opening. In some embodiments requiringgreater sensitivity or operation over a wider range of environmentalconditions it is useful to also initialize the sensing system with thephoto-emitter inactive. In a manner similar to the initializationdescribed above, the offset voltage is adjusted with the photo-emitterinactive while maintaining the modulation input to the switchedamplifier until the output voltage is unchanged over the measurementperiod. In this way signals that are intrinsic to the circuit itselfsuch as leakage currents and offset voltages may be canceled prior tomaking a subsequent measurement with the photo-emitters active. Thissecondary initialization process may take place just prior to an activemeasurement or at any time when the sensor is dormant.

Detector 116 may be a voltage comparator having a first input coupled toa reference threshold voltage and a second input coupled to theintegrator 114 output 408. The comparator changes the output state whenthe integrator output exceeds the reference threshold voltage. In thiscase the length of time required for the integrator to reach thethreshold voltage as measured from the time of reset of switch 410 ofFIG. 4 may used to infer the relative size of the obstacle. In apreferred embodiment, a threshold of 1.25 V is used. As described above,the output of the comparator may used to trigger a pulse generator thatresets switch 410 directly and thereby initiating a new measurementcycle. In this case a free-running oscillator will be formed whereby thefrequency of reset pulses can be used as an indication of the state ofthe monitored opening.

Alternatively, the detector may be a micro-controller or microprocessorhaving an internal analog-digital (A/D) converter, or controlling anexternal A/D converter, in which the output from integrator 114 isconverted to a binary number and compared to a threshold numberpreviously stored in a memory.

Those of ordinary skill in the art should further appreciate thatvariations to and modification of the above-described methods andapparatus for providing object detection in an aperture in the path of aclosure member may be made without departing from the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein. Accordingly, the invention should be viewed as limitedsolely by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for detecting an obstacle in a pinch zone, the apparatus comprising: a modulator providing a first modulation signal having an active phase having a first duration and an inactive phase having a second duration; a photo-emitter coupled to said modulator for receiving said first modulation signal and operative so as to provide an optical signal during an active phase in response to said modulation signal and to be turned off during an inactive phase; an optical detector optically coupled to said photo-emitter and configured to receive a portion of said optical signal that is reflected from said pinch zone and responsive thereto, said optical detector providing a detector output signal indicative of one characteristic of said received optical signal; a switched amplifier having a first input coupled to said detector output signal and a second input connected to a reference voltage, said switched amplifier also being coupled to said first modulation signal and having a first gain corresponding to said active phase and a second gain corresponding to said inactive phase, said switched amplifier providing an output signal that includes said detector output signal multiplied by said first gain during said active phase and said detector output signal multiplied by said second gain during said inactive phase; an integrator coupled to said switched amplifier and receiving said switched amplifier output signal, said integrator being configured and arranged to integrate said switched amplifier output signal over a predetermined measurement period corresponding to at least one pair of active and inactive phases, and to provide an integrator output signal; and a detector for receiving said integrator output signal and configured and arranged to provide indicia of the presence or absence of an object within said pinch zone based on said integrator output signal.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said photo-emitter is a LED.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said LED emits light in the infrared region.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the photo-emitter is a laser diode.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the photo-emitter is a flash-tube or flash-lamp.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said photo-emitter provides said optical signal in a form selected from the group consisting of a plane of light, a fan of light having a plurality of fingers, a narrow beam of light, and a multi-faceted beam of light.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said optical detector is a photodiode.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said photodiode is responsive to infrared light.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said photodiode includes a visible light filter.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a preamplifier having an input coupled to said optical detector and an output providing a preamplified detector output signal to said switched amplifier.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said preamplifier includes a current-to-voltage converter coupled to said optical detector.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said preamplifier includes a gain stage amplifier coupled to said output of said a current-to-voltage converter and provides an amplified detector output signal to said switched amplifier.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a subtraction module having a first input coupled to said output of said switched amplifier and a second input coupled to an adjustable offset voltage, said subtraction module having an output coupled to said integrator, wherein said adjustable offset voltage is selected such that the integrator output signal can be maintained at a substantially constant value during the measurement period.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a control element coupled to a memory, said control element configured and arranged to adjust said offset voltage to maintain the output of the integrator substantially constant during the measurement period.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the modulation signal is substantially a square wave with substantially a 50% duty cycle, and wherein and the first and second gains of the switching amplifier have the same magnitude and opposite polarity.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said modulator further provides a second modulation signal having an active phase having a third duration and an inactive phase having a fourth duration, said modulator providing said first modulation signal to said photo-emitter and said second modulation signal to said switched amplifier, wherein said third duration is larger than said first duration, and said fourth duration is larger than said second duration.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the duration of the active phase of the modulation signal is substantially less than the duration of the inactive phase, and wherein the first gain of the switched amplifier has a nonzero value and the second gain of the switched amplifier has a substantially zero gain.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a voltage reference signal coupled to a second input of said switched amplifier, said switched amplifier providing as an output during the active phase, the difference between said detector output signal multiplied by said first gain and said reference signal voltage multiplied by said second gain, and providing as an output during the inactive phase the difference between the voltage reference signal multiplied by the first gain and said detector output signal multiplied by the second gain.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a threshold voltage signal, and wherein said detector is a comparator having a first input coupled to said integrator output signal and a second input coupled to said threshold voltage signal, wherein said comparator provides a signal indicative as to the presence or absence of an object within the pinch zone.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said detector includes an A/D converter coupled to a microcontroller.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the integrator is a microcontroller performing the numerical integration of the signal.
 22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the modulator is a microcontroller.
 23. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a reset switch coupled to the integrator to reset the integrator to a predetermined value.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the reset switch is a microcontroller.
 25. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the reset switch is an analog switch.
 26. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the reset switch is a resistor. 